Ending deforestation

Indonesia's rainforests shelter an amazingly rich number of plant and animal species, many of which occur nowhere else on earth. The orang-utan, Sumatran tiger and the world's largest flower, the one metre Wide Rafflesia, all call the Paradise Forests their home. The human communities inhabiting these forests have deep cultural, spiritual and physical connections to the forest for thousands of years. The diversity of these cultures is extraordinary.

Indonesia is now the world’s third largest greenhouse gas emitter, after China and the US, despite its relatively small area and population. Deforestation and peat land destruction are the reasons why – up to four percent of global greenhouse gases are estimated to come from the destruction of Indonesia’s peat lands. The palm oil industry is acknowledged as one of the primary drivers of deforestation and peat destruction, along with the pulp paper and mining industries.

Palm oil is used as cheap cooking oil and in most processed foods (chocolates, ice creams, instant foods, baked goods etc), in cosmetics, soaps and a number of other products. India has emerged as a key market for Indonesian palm oil, surpassing China as the world’s largest importer in 2009. Indian demand for this commodity is spurring expansion of plantations into forest and peat land areas.

As part of its campaign towards zero deforestation, Greenpeace is calling for a moratorium on all deforestation and peat land destruction in Indonesia, and is asking all companies purchasing palm oil to sever links with suppliers known to be involved in deforestation and peat land destruction.

Campaign story

Globally, a string of large corporations including Unilever, Kraft, Mars and Nestle have made commitments to sustainable palm oil sourcing in response to public pressure over the issue of deforestation and peat land destruction.

In India, Greenpeace is asking all importers of palm oil to ensure that their supplies are not linked to deforestation or peat destruction, and to support a moratorium on forest clearance in Indonesia. It is essential that Indian companies and the Indian public let Indonesian producers know that they do not want palm oil that is linked to deforestation or peat destruction. Under a moratorium, the palm oil industry is free to continue operations on existing plantations, and expand in non-forest areas. But deforestation and peat destruction must stop.

The latest updates

The past 10 days have seen a growing chorus of protests aimed at KFC’s destructive packaging while the company has remained totally silent over what action it will take to cut the infamous Asia Pulp and Paper (APP) out of its supply...

"Jungle toh munshi ka hain." These words stayed with me throughout and even after my stay in Singrauli, the so called energy capital of the country. We travelled to Singrauli, deep inside the Mahan forest to bear witness to the...

People walking around in Orangutan suits, in a busy commercial area, is not a usual sight. It's funny at first, but then you realise that they are probably doing all of this for a reason. For the Greenpeace activists in these...

This week saw the launch of new global campaign to stop KFC turning rainforests into trash, by cutting deforestation out of it’s supply chain.
All week Greenpeace activists have been taking the message to KFC while thousands of...

Yesterday we released a report exposing KFC for driving rainforest destruction and pushing tigers toward extinction. Sadly, KFC executives have responded by putting a big bucket of denial on their heads.
KFC Packaging...

No matter what you think about fast food, you’ll no doubt agree that rainforests shouldn’t be trashed to make packaging destined for the trash. But that’s exactly what’s happening. Asia Pulp & Paper (APP) is supplying KFC with...

Greenpeace International research has revealed that KFC is sourcing paper for its packaging products from rainforests. This has been confirmed in China, the UK and Indonesia. Products found to contain rainforest fibre include cups, food boxes,...